<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Roses by RoryDysfunction</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23397790">Roses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoryDysfunction/pseuds/RoryDysfunction'>RoryDysfunction</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pining, Reader-Insert, tumblr writing challenge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:47:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23397790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoryDysfunction/pseuds/RoryDysfunction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This was written for kellyn1604's 5k writing challenge on Tumblr. </p><p>Y/N Stark has a crush on Steve but is too scared to tell him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Roses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You had a serious problem. Of course, you only realized this at the most inconvenient time. This time you were sparring with Natasha and of course, Steve had to be right in your line of sight squatting the weight of a small car. You can’t help but watch the sweat slide between the ridges of the muscles in his back, the way his perky butt stood out as he squatted low. You almost bite straight through your lip as Natasha lands a solid kick right to your abdomen, flattening you on the floor. You lay there, staring up at the ceiling, wheezing for breath as she stands over you, smirking. You have no shame. None at all. </p><p>Natasha kneels on the floor next to you, leaning in close. “You let your guard down again, Y/N.” </p><p>You lift your head up, glancing at where Steve was now stretching before looking up at her. “Can you blame me?” </p><p>“Why don’t you just tell him?” </p><p>“I’m definitely not his type, for starters.” </p><p>Natasha tilts her head. “And what is his type?” </p><p>You motion up and down at her. “You. Strong, brave, heroic.” You poke at your stomach. “I’m all soft and cowardly. He wants someone who will run into the face of danger, not from it.” </p><p>“You’re sure that’s what he wants and that’s not just what you think he wants?” </p><p>You shrug. “Look at his dating history. It’s short but concise. He has a type, and it’s not me.” </p><p>********</p><p>You try to convince yourself that he would never go for someone like you, shoving your feelings to the side. You were a scientist. An engineer, keeping with the family tradition. You would build machinery that could bring down a building, but that was where your heroics ended. You hadn’t gotten your father’s selflessness to put yourself in danger to help others. Maybe you were selfish but you’d seen enough of it to last you more than a lifetime. You were more than happy to stay behind the lines, making sure everyone’s gadgets worked perfectly. So that’s where you buried yourself to avoid facing your feelings for the Star-Spangled Man. </p><p>Of course, that was hard when you were currently doing updates on his suit and you needed him to try it out. It had taken you nearly a half an hour to build up the courage to message him to meet you in your lab and bring his shield. The prospect of being alone with him scared you beyond belief. What if you said something stupid? What if you just malfunctioned and melted into a pile of goo? Perhaps the latter would be a less embarrassing end than other situations you could come up with. </p><p>Like forgetting to breathe when he walks in. Yeah, suffocating yourself was definitely more embarrassing than turning into goo. It’s not your fault though since he insists on walking around like a male model with his slicked-back hair and too tight t-shirts and perfectly fitting jeans, just tight enough to show off his lower body. Yeah, you had it bad. Real bad. </p><p>“Hey.” He says, nearly stopping your heart with an award-winning smile. </p><p>“H-Hi.” You smile back, but you’re sure it looks more like a wince from your inability to not stutter. You had gone through years of therapy to fix that. And this man in front of you had the ability to undo that with one word. </p><p>“You said you needed me to test something?” </p><p>You nod, swallowing your nerves, praying your hands don’t shake as they pick up his glove off your work table. “I fixed the magnet in your glove. It should work all the time now, instead of just being finicky. No offense of course to my dad but he’s got so much going on sometimes and he’s so sleep-deprived pretty much all the time, sometimes he forgets to put the right wire in the right place and I’ve seen what happens when he connects the wrong ones and I don’t want you to have to go through that recovery process so…I’ll stop talking and let you try it out.” You give him a nervous smile, inwardly berating yourself for your nervous banter as you hand his glove back to him. </p><p>He smiles, his fingers brushing yours as he takes the glove from you, your heart nearly stopping in his chest. His hands aren’t as calloused as you thought they would be. You’d felt your dad’s hands and there was no expensive moisturizer that was going to save him. Steve’s hands though are surprisingly smooth, probably having something to do with the serum and his healing abilities. He only had callouses where he needed them. </p><p>Steve slips his glove on, setting his shield on the floor before activating the magnet. You jump slightly as the shield snaps up onto his arm again, holding in place. </p><p>He turns to you, smiling. “Looks good right now.” </p><p>You nod, swallowing the lump in your throat. “Good! If it starts to act up again, just let me know. I’m happy to take another look at it.” </p><p>Steve nods, fiddling with the shield as he hesitates for a moment. Your heart starts to pound in your chest as adrenaline rushes through you. Now’s your moment. You want to blurt out all of your inner thoughts, confess your feelings, tell him you love him and want to spend the rest of your life with him. </p><p>“Hey, Steve?” You step closer, but your confidence fades as he looks at you. </p><p>His blue eyes freeze you in place, stealing the words from your lips. “Yes, Y/N?” </p><p>You gulp a little. “I-If you ever need anything else fixed…you can come straight to me. I know my dad likes to try and fix everything and he tends to just send the small stuff to me but I know he can get a little backed up and distracted and with your guys’ unpredictable schedules it can be kinda hard if you need something right away, so I’m here if you need anything. Anything fixed, that is.” </p><p>Steve nods and you can’t help but notice a flash of disappointment in his eyes. Maybe you had just imagined it from your own disappointment in your cowardice. “Thanks, Y/N. I’ll keep that in mind.” </p><p>You let out a breath as you watch him leave, hitting your work table in frustration at your own lack of bravery. One day. One day you would tell him. </p><p>*********</p><p>You’re one day too late. Steve comes down to the rec room dressed to the nines and you can feel your heart breaking a little. He has flowers in his hands, daisies in a nice bouquet. You feel your hands shake as they hold your book, Steve looking like a dream. A dream you had envisioned many nights alone, but this one wasn’t for you. </p><p>“How do I look?” Steve asks Sam who’s sitting at the opposite end of the couch from you. </p><p>“Man, when you clean up, you do it nicely,” Sam says. “Who’s the lucky lady?” </p><p>“One of the girls from accounting. Natasha set me up.” </p><p>You can feel your heart breaking even more. Not only from disappointment but also from betrayal. You had thought of Nat as a friend, but maybe you had been wrong. Your breath catches as Steve turns to you, and you try to hide the disappointed look on your face. </p><p>“Y/N? What do you think?” </p><p>You nod, swallowing the lump in your throat. “You look great.” </p><p>He smiles at you and your heart breaks all over again. “Thanks. I’ll be home late so no one wait up for me.” </p><p>“We won’t,” Sam says jokingly as Steve makes his way out of the rec room. </p><p>You try to go back to your book but you can’t concentrate on it, fighting the tears threatening to spill. You had wasted your moment and Steve had already found someone else. You get up from the couch, heading to the only person you know you can trust in the tower. </p><p>He’s right where you expect him to be, hunched over his work table messing with something. You can’t really see through the tears, leading yourself blindly to his side. </p><p>“Dad?” </p><p>He glances up from his work, doing a double-take as he sees the tears running down your cheeks. He sets his tools down, reaching out for you. “Hey pumpkin, what’s going on?” </p><p>You fall against his chest, clinging to his shirt. He smells like aftershave and metal but you don’t care, burying your face in his chest. “Why can’t I be brave like you?” </p><p>He wraps his arms around you, and you can tell he’s staring at you. “What do you mean?” </p><p>“Steve’s out on a date. I wasn’t brave enough to ask him and I missed my chance.” </p><p>“It’s not your fault.” He rubs your back.</p><p>“Why can’t I just talk to him? Be smooth like you?” </p><p>He sits you down on a stool, holding you at arm’s length. “I’m not always smooth. I almost missed my shot with your mom.” </p><p>You tilt your head. You hadn’t ever heard this story before. “What do you mean?” </p><p>“You know I met your mom while we were in school and she was literally the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I swear I thought I would die any time she even looked at me. It was like all the experience I had talking to women just went out the window. I couldn’t work up the courage to ask her out and the one time I finally did she already had plans with another guy. Two months went by before they broke up and I finally got the chance to shoot my shot and, well, you know how the story ends. So don’t give up hope. It’s just one date. You’ll get there.” </p><p>You want to believe him. You really do. </p><p>*****</p><p>It’s later that night and you can’t sleep. It was pushing eleven and the tower and quieted down as everyone either left for the night, went to bed, or to their respective workspaces to avoid sleeping. You had taken a page out of your dad’s book and buried yourself in your lab, working on a couple of things you had decided to put together out of boredom. Mostly it was a need for a distraction. You weren’t sure if Steve had come back yet and you were too scared to ask FRIDAY if he had or not. You weren’t really sure you wanted to know the answer to that question. </p><p>Turns out you didn’t need to. </p><p>The sly AI let you know that Steve had returned, and was currently in the kitchen. You push all your fear and doubt aside, your legs shaking as you get up and make your way there as well. You nearly turn and run as you walk in, Steve having taken his jacket off and was just in a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. You push the small shred of bravery forward, making your way further into the kitchen. Steve looks up where he’s sipping a cup of water next to the fridge. </p><p>“You’re up late.” </p><p>You nod, coming to a stop a few feet from him. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep. Decided to work on some stuff.” He nods, taking another drink. “Steve, there’s something I need to say.” </p><p>He looks back to you, swallowing the water he had just drank. You don’t give him a chance to respond, knowing if you wait any longer, you’re not going to get it out. </p><p>“Steve, I’ve been trying to say this for a long time and I keep talking myself out of it and convincing myself that I’m not good enough and I’m tired of being hurt and heartbroken so I’m just going to come out and say it. I’m a simple girl. I know that’s kind of surprising given my childhood and my dad and the fact that I could basically have anything I really wanted, but there’s only one thing I really want. I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” You take a breath, Steve not even blinking as he takes in your words. “I know you’re already seeing someone and by the looks of it the date went really well and I’m really late letting you know this and no matter how much it hurts I hope you two are happy together. I just needed to say it-” You’re cut off by Steve’s finger on your lips. You hadn’t even noticed him approach you in your ramblings. </p><p>“I’m glad you did.” He moves his finger from your lips, staring down at you. He smells good, like spice and Italian food. “The date…didn’t really go well. I realized the gal wasn’t really my type and I also realized while I was sitting at the restaurant that I liked someone else. I kept imagining her sitting across from me instead of the girl from accounting.” You stare up at him, unsure of what he’s going to say. “You. I was imagining you.” </p><p>It takes a moment for his words to hit you, but when it does you feel like your feet are going to float off the ground and you’ll lift right to the ceiling. You get the same feeling you do when you’re on a roller coaster heading down the big drop at the beginning like your stomach is still sitting at the top of the hill and all circulation has ceased except between your heart and your brain. You know you’re shaking but you’re not entirely sure you had stopped since you left your lab. </p><p>“Steve…I…don’t know what to say…I’ve spent so much time…dreaming about this…I…” </p><p>He wraps an arm around you, holding you close. “Then don’t say anything.” </p><p>He leans down, pressing his lips to yours. They’re soft against yours, and you have to question Natasha’s opinion that he hadn’t done much kissing since the ’40s. Not that you had much experience to go off of. </p><p>“God I wish I had confessed earlier.” You breathe for a moment, Steve smiling before pressing his lips back to yours. </p><p>You’re not sure how long you stand there, lost in each other. Months of pent up emotions and feelings leaving you both. Steve leans his forehead against yours, breath fanning over your face. You didn’t want to move, but the exertion from all of the emotions that had just come to the surface has your body realizing how late it really is. </p><p>“So, I know you just went on a date, but maybe next weekend we could go see a movie or something?” You ask as you pull away from Steve. </p><p>He nods. “Sure. I’d love to take you out.” </p><p>You smile at him. “Great. I’ll be sure to clear my schedule.” You turn, heading towards the door, but you stop, turning around to face him again. “Oh, and Steve? I like roses.”</p><p></p><div class="postfoot">
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>